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"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

WHAT WE ARE WAITING FOR:

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton

Expected Publication Date: August 14th, 2014

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

WHY WE'RE WAITING:

Does it need explaining? We completely fell in love with Anna and Etienne and Lola and Cricket and just can't wait to get to know Isla and Josh! Stephanie Perkins has a way of making you swoon; it's just magical. And being the ya contemporary fans we are, Isla is one of those books on top of our anticipated 2014 reads.

Millicent 'Millie' Ostermeyer is trying to figure out who murdered Honeywell Stinger's football coach, Coach Killdare. This proves to be quite a difficult feat since most people have a reason to murder the widely unpopular Coach Killdare including Millie's father who quickly becomes the prime suspect. Desperate to prove her father's innocence and beat her archenemy, Vivienne, she partners up with the mysterious Chase Albright. Will she be able to find out who the murderer is? Will she be able to solve the puzzle that is Chase Albright? Will she fight her attraction towards Chase or will she give in?

To be perfectly honest, I didn't instantly like this book. I thought that it was unfair how Millie immediately accused Vivienne of being biased in her article then did not even apologize when she later realized that the facts were technically true. I thought that Chase was a total douche bag. I thought that Vivienne's attitude was entirely unrealistic. I thought that it was very disrespectful to Coach Killdare how none of the students seemed to care about his death. All Vivienne and Millie wanted to do was write a good article about the murder and earn a Pacemaker award. It was as if nobody cared at all. Needless to say, I started out disliking this book but as the story progressed, I found myself liking the characters and the story itself more and more.

Millie may have been selfish at times but she knows how to do the right thing when needed. She obviously loves her father and wants the best for him. She may have flipped out when she found out that her father was dating her librarian but soon calmed down and realized that the two were really perfect for each other. She loves her parents, even her mother who's dead. Her extreme dedication to her parents and her determination to prove that her father is innocent is very admirable. She is smart and creative. She is a fun, quirky character that still has her flaws.

Chase may have been a bit of a douche bag at the start of the book but he quickly redeems himself. He is one of the few people who can see the good in the people most hated. He is one of the few people who sees beauty in rare places. He obviously cares about Millie. His past self has made many mistakes but even as he improves he never forgets what he has learned there. He didn't forget what happened but he soon learns to deal with it. Even his love for fancy, slightly deppressing movies didn't come off as pretentious because the author was able to right that well.

I was not expecting who the killer was. I didn't really expect it to be one of the people that Millie listed down but I couldn't really think of anyone outside that list who would be able to kill someone. I was completely surprised when the killer was finally revealed but looking back at the book, it did make sense. Chase's big secret was actually pretty easy to guess but I don't mind all that much. Buzz Kill is more than just a murder-mystery. It's a story about young love. About how death affects all of us. About how moving on can be just as difficult as losing someone you love.

The writing was good with just the right amount of sarcasm and wit. The
story isn't the kind that will grab you and never let you go, it's the
kind that will interest you but let you read it at the pace you'd like.
It's a cute, fun story that will be ideal for those who are young or
young at heart. If you're looking for a light and easy read that will
still be able to touch your heart, this would be perfect.

Buzz Kill was good mix of ambition, dedication, sarcasm, fun, friendship, guilt, and love. Partner that with an awesome bassett hound that is so ugly he's cute plus conversations that are so awkward it's endearing, and you get one of the most fun books you'll read in a while.

It is really hard for me to express how much I love this book. To be creative and also for a change I will list down an A-Z list of adjectives that best describe this book, and beside it, I will be writing a brief explanation of why I think the book is to be described as such.

A-mazing - I guess this is pretty much self-explanatory, very few books could achieve such an amazing content. Since I gave this book a 5-star rating, it seems like it's speaking by itself. "Read me, you'll be amazed."

B-eautiful - When I finished reading this book, all I can
think about is how beautiful it is. This is actually the first word
that came to my mind when I hit the last word.

C-aptivating - This book did not get me hooked when I started reading it, but when I
finished reading it I was attached and captivated with such a beautiful story.

D-imensional -
I felt that I was inside the book and watching everyone and everything
from a near distance. There were just a few characters in the story, but
all of them felt real.

E-motional - There were
really times when I got teary-eyed by reading this. To be honest, that
is very rare for me since I don't cry a lot when I read books or watch
movies. This book just makes me emotional.

F-lawless -
Again it is very unusual that there is nothing wrong with a book, but I
promise this book was flawless for me. From the title to
acknowledgements, I can't find anything wrong.

G-enuine -
I have read some books where I feel that relationships move too fast,
and you won't feel how genuine the two character's love for each other
is. In this book, Ezra and Charlotte did not rush into anything. They
just enjoyed themselves.

H-eartfelt - The story went right into my heart!

I-maginative - Marie created a book that was a bit cliche but you can definitely see the creativity in Waiting for the Storm. Maybe it was her writing style that I liked, it was written in Charlotte's POV, and I can feel the depth of the words while I was reading it.

J-oy - Even though, I was very emotional while reading this book, it gave me joy and made me smile as if I was the one in the happy ending.

K-iller - The book is a killer! It is incredibly powerful, and it will really stick to you. Might not be on the very beginning, but it slowly clings to you.

L-ove - Just as I said in Genuine, both Ezra and Charlotte did not rush into things. They waited for the perfect time when they were absolutely sure that they do not just like each other but love each other.

M-oving - I love stories like this when both main characters aren't perfect. They might look gorgeous on the outside, but on the inside they are full of sadness and their lives aren't perfect. They were able to work it all out because they were both able to easily relate their feelings. That is what made this book moving.

N-oteworthy - There is so much wisdom in every page Marie made, and I believe that this is her talent she needs to continue.

O-ne - This book was the first book I've read of Marie's and I would definitely read more of her works.

P-erfect - Since I said that the book is flawless, then that means it's perfect!

Q-uotable - There were so many lines from the book that I wanted to grab and quote, but here's some that I really love:
"What a cool name. Where'd you get it?"
"I've always had it."

"If this is a break-up speech, stop right there. I know you have to leave next week, but I told you we'd find a way. I'm not letting you-"

R-are - Waiting for the Storm contains a very rare love story and rare situations to put characters in. This is one of the main reasons why I love and enjoyed this book.

S-ad - The first word that came to my mind after reading this book was beautiful, but it was a sad kind of beautiful. The good thing is I was contented with how the book ended. The ending have worked out, and everyone was happy. They all know that there is a lot more in store for them.

T-ouching - If I could summarize the whole book in one word, it would be 'touching'.

U-nforgettable - I don't think I will ever forget this book.

V-ivid - Everything that happened was clear and made perfect sense. There was never a part where I doubted something.

W-orthy - There were totally no regrets reading this book. It was totally worth it. Who wouldn't want to read a story that is very inspirational and will break your heart but will soon leave a smile on your face. That is what literally happened to me.

X-enodochial - I looked up the meaning of this word and it's definition is 'friendly to strangers'. I would definitely recommend this book to all those who just started giving YA a try. This book can make you love YA, and definitely love reading more books.

Y-oung - The book started off with Charlotte's mother death, and basically her family is falling apart. On the other hand, Ezra is a boy who is full of secrets. Both of them have a lot of similarities and as their relationship grow, it's not just a young puppy love but something a lot more.

Z-esty - Since I can't think of any more adjectives starting with Z. I thought of one that partly describes the book. The book isn't lively, but it's very pleasing.

That's it! Those are 26 adjectives that I think best describes the book and what I feel about it.

OOOOH, and by the way thanks again for the awesome swag Marie!

Have you read Waiting for the Storm? What do you think? Leave a comment!

I'm honestly still swooning and giddy all over. It's been 2 weeks since I've finished this awesomely cute and wonderful book, yet I can't get it out of my head at all. Everyone knows best friend romances is my favorite trope but I think Better Off Friends is the best one I've read out of everything.

I can't find any coherence in writing this review as all I am capable of doing is fangirling over how beautiful and amazing this book is to me. It made me feel so many things - genuine happiness, sadness, shock, yearning, distraught, giddiness and so much more. There are some books that resonate with you long after you finish it, and Better Off Friends is clearly an example of such. There is not a single day that I haven't thought of the wonderful friendship and love between McCallan and Levi and how these two characters made me feel so warm all over just by being themselves. There was just so much depth, character and honesty to this story, that I felt was fantastically woven together. This is the kind of book that made me want to scream and flail my arms around in joy. This is the kind of book that made me want to give everyone I see a bear hug just for the heck of it! This is the kind of book that made me want to sing at the top of my lungs and cry, and cry, and cry some more because of the overflowing joy it made me feel.

The moment McCallan and Levi meet each other in the 7th grade, you just know that these two are meant for each other. The story takes you to how their relationship develops and deepens from a bunch of 12 year old noobs simply bonding over a favorite Tv show to freshmen kids having tons of inside jokes, to growing up and drifting apart, and to finally realizing how much they mean to each other. To describe this book as a feel-good story is a HUGE understatement. I've never felt happier about a book in my entire life, and gah this book was just perfect!

Told in alternating POVs, we get a glimpse of both Levi and McCallan's thoughts. Though dual POV is one of my pet peeves, it wasn't a problem with this book as both characters have such distinct voices, that I never got confused with who was talking at the moment. The funny and very sweet commentary by an older Levi and McCallan in between the chapters is absolutely wonderful as well, and I swooned and laughed and cried because it was... Just. beautiful. I actually never wanted it to end, because I loved being in their thoughts so much and these two people were just so genuine and real and likeable that I really didn't want to say goodbye to both of them. Elizabeth did a great job at developing both the characters, starting with headstrong McCallan who never backs down without a fight, but deep inside just misses her mom so much, and sweet Levi who only wants to fit in his new school. They both progress and mature throughout the story, as they overcome their struggles in life; and in the end though they remain true to themselves, they turn out to become well rounded and mature individuals.

What was glorious as well were their families, who composed a huge chunk of the story: Levi's mom who is a great parent not just to Levi but also McCallan, who had to grow up without one; McCallan's dad who is an equally awesome parent what with planning surprise parties and all; and McCallan's uncle Adam who has a speech disability but has the biggest and kindest heart ever. It was such a good feeling meeting all these characters and I never wiped the smile off my face the whole time.

And now the last but not the least: Levi and McCallan's relationship.Their friendship is seriously the best thing ever. I never felt it was too slow or too fast. It was so well-paced that the timing just felt right at the end. We see first how they become best friends, how they start dating other people but still put the other first, how they drift apart, how they miss each other and up to that moment when Levi meets McCallan at the park by the swing and you just know - it's time.

SYNOPSIS:Lucy Tate is on the run. After
witnessing the brutal murder of her parents, she's spent five
years in hiding -- taking on different personas and faking her
way through life. The authorities can't be trusted, so she
remains in the shadows, always one beat ahead of the man who
is forever hunting her. That is, until she meets Zach Schultz,
a senior at Monte Vista High and the one guy she can’t bear to
leave. Suddenly her natural instincts to lie, steal, and run
are overshadowed by something else...the desire to stay. It’s
her one shot at a normal life.

Curious by nature, Zach is
immediately drawn to the new girl at school. How can a person
look both confident and vulnerable all in the same moment?
Determined to learn more about her, he tries to get close, but
is thrown into a world of lies and confusion. The only thing
that becomes apparent is that discovering the truth may get him
killed.

TEASERS FOR IKL

ZACH...

When it came to girls I was a fool. I
wouldn't deny it. My track record sucked, but maybe this time it
would be different. I wouldn't label it love at first sight or
anything, but intrigue. Yeah that's it - intrigue at first sight.
That girl, whoever she was, had captured me...and it had only
taken a glimpse.

ZACH...

"This is different, you guys." I shook
my head. "I mean yes, she is gorgeous. And yes, I'm attracted to
her, but it's not just her looks. There's something about her.
She's intriguing. It's like she's not all she appears to be or
something."

"You can tell that after two minutes
of interacting with her? Give me a break." Elliot balled up his
napkin and threw it on the table.

"I know I don't know her at all yet,
but I can tell there's something more there." I rubbed my bottom
lip.

"She looks normal to me." AJ shrugged.

"I think she's pretty. She looks
sweet, but..." Liesl turned to spy her quickly. "AJ's right. She
looks like any other transfer student. What makes her so
different?"

"It's something about her eyes.
There's a story in them. I can't even explain why I think that. I
just feel like she's got a lot of layers and I want to peel back
every single one of them."

"I bet you do." Elliot raised his
eyebrows.

"Not like that." I threw him a droll
look. "I just want to solve the mystery that is Danielle
Harrison."

"Dude, there is no mystery." Elliot
slapped his hand lightly on the table.

"Yes there is. I can feel it."

"Careful, Zachy, your Nancy Drew is
showing." Jaeda's green eyes were large and round as she gave me a
playful look.

"I don't care." I shrugged, confident
in the truth that I really didn't. "That girl over there has
secrets and I'm gonna figure out what they are."

LUCY...

Lucy felt sick, but then came that
smile. She hated that smile, but she couldn't help it. She had
managed to lift that bracelet without the lady knowing. The art of
pickpocketing was a skill she'd had to really practice. Marlin had
taught her a couple of months into their time together. At first
she'd outright refused to learn, but after three days of garbage
scraps, Lucy was going out of her mind. She agreed to do whatever
it took to get a decent meal...and so Marlin had become her Fagan
and they were an excellent team.

ZACH...

Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed
the girl had disappeared on the other side of the street. I picked
up a French fry and popped it in my mouth wondering if I had been
right. If it was a con, it sucked that she just ripped that guy
off by three hundred bucks, although he looked as though he could
take it. A slow smile spread across my face. Man, if that had been
a con, she was a really good artist. It had been a piece of magic
to watch.

ZACH...

"You're eighteen. You're old enough to
make your own choices, you know."

I didn't want her to play the rebel
and get her in trouble, but I had a damn good point. Her father
was being way too protective. No boyfriends in high school? Come
on.

Her eyes said something I couldn't
decipher and her words were spoken with a softness that pierced
me. "Some people don't get as many choices as others."

As if realizing she'd suddenly gone
too deep and serious, she forced a bright smile over her lips.
Leaning towards me with a playful grin, she touched her lips to my
ear. "But I am eighteen and if I really want something, I won't
let Daddy stop me."

Her breath was warm and tickled my
skin, making goosebumps rise over my forearms. Her soft lips
pressed against my cheek before she leaned back with a smile. Her
eyes were dancing as she bit her lip. "See you tomorrow, Zach."

ZACH...

Riley was Dani. I wanted to deny it,
but I couldn't, because I knew. In my gut, I knew that Dani had
secrets and I had just found a layer I could peel back.

I just wasn't sure if I wanted to.

ZACH...

"I can't— Look my parents were killed
by a crooked cop and he's still out there. If he finds me..." Dani
shook her head, expelling a heavy sigh. "What if he found you?
What if he hurt you? I can't live with that, Zach. You have no
idea how bad I want to run, how my instinct is telling me to
split." She closed her eyes, chewing her bottom lip so hard I
thought I might bleed.

I Know Lucy is easily one of the best suspense novels we've read. Though it is also a love story, it did not forget that it was also a suspense story which most suspense-romance novels are not able to achieve. This book kept us guessing until the very end. It was definitely not your typical YA love story.

Lucy seems to be a very strong character. She got through her parent's death and survived five years on the run. Zach started out as a bit immature but soon became a great male lead. He obviously cares about Lucy and not just because she was messed up and he likes being the hero. It may have started out a bit like that but soon, you realize that Zach cares about Lucy (or Dani, as he knows her) past that level. He puts his life and the life of those he loves on the line for Lucy.

The story was told in the first-person POV of Zach portraying the present and the third-person POV of Lucy showing the past in alternating chapters. The book wouldn't have been as great if it wasn't told this way. The slow build up if suspense as Lucy begins to show more of her past was also perfect and leaves its readers hanging on to every word on the page.

The book ended perfectly with Lucy revealing her real name to Zach.We still don't know what will happen to Lucy, Zach, or the killer but we do know that we can't wait to get our hands on the second book of the series.

Melissa Pearl
was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life
abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan...
not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with
her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with
her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but
writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has
had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit
the internet in November 2011. Since then she has continued to
produce a steady stream of books. Recently she signed with
Evatopia Press and her first Evatopia book is coming out in
February 2014 - True Colors, The Masks Series #1. She is very
excited to be trying out new things this year while continuing to
publish under her own name as well. She has six books planned for
2014 and is excited about writing each and every one of them.

"I am
passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never
knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and
transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry
and fall in love.

Random Saturdays is a weekly post that we make here at Geeky Chiquitas. We write about ourselves so that our readers can get to know more about us. This week, only Beryl and Audrey will be sharing facts about themselves since Kimi is out of the country. She abandoned us!!! Anyway, our post for this week will be about our embarrassing moments. Not necessarily the most embarrassing but embarrassing nonetheless.

Beryl

1. This happened just two days ago when I went swimming with my other cousins. After we went swimming, of course we'd have to shower. Since there was only one shower stall in the ladies room and it was occupied by one of the cousins while nobody was in the boys' CR, I decided to shower in the men's room. There was only one guy swimming in the pool that day and I didn't think that he would finish swimming that fast so I went to shower in the men's room. While I was showering, the one and only guy suddenly started saying '"Hey! It's the men's room, get out!" I immediately wrapped myself with a towel then ran out of the bathroom. (LOL)

2. There was this one time when I went to the mall with my cousins and relatives, and we were shopping in the department store. A random lady was looking at herself in the mirror holding a dress.Maybe she wants to try it out. I thought that the lady was actually Kimi, so I held the dress and started insulting it. I suddenly stopped when I realized it wasn't Kimi and the lady just walked out.

3. A few years ago, I was invited to a swimming party of my friend. She also invited some of her cousins, so we were all swimming in one pool. There was this particular kid who was very very hyper and energetic and she was pulling my hair which was in a ponytail. I don't know why, but she hated me. BIG TIME. That time I was wearing a backless swimsuit, and without knowing it the little girl yanked the tie of the top of my swimsuit. It was my friend who noticed it and told me. Wow, swimming must be bad luck for me.

Audrey

1. The dress that I bought for Kimi's debut was blue, sparkly, and strapless. She invited a lot of people including the whole family and a lot of her friends. We have cousins that are very young, like, 3-5 years old at that time. One of the cousins that was still very young became very energetic during Kimi's debut and wanted to play. She started tugging on the bottom of my dress so that I would go with her. Suddenly, she pulled a bit harder and the strapless dress was pulled down. I managed to stop her from pulling down the dress fully amd I also managed to pull up my dress in 0.00000001 seconds so the crisis was mostly averted. Still embarrassing though.
Umm... I can't think of any other embarrassing moment. I actually have quite a lot but my brain isn't functioning correctly so I can't remember any of them. Anyway, that's all for now! What are your embarrassing moments what did you think about ours? Leave a comment!

Since the first two books
in the Angel Island series are YA (here’s a secret: the third book will be New
Adult), and since I absolutely adore contemporary YA, I thought I’d share five
of my favourite books with you. These are the books I recommend most when
someone asks me for must-read YA contemporary.

Anna and the French
Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I love this book so
much. Anna is such an easy character to relate to, and Etienne is one of my favourite
book boyfriends. Plus the story is set in Paris - what could be better than
that? I reread this book last April and was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it as much
the second time around, but I loved it even more than the first time. I think
I’m just about due for another reread. ;-)

Amy & Roger’s Epic
Detour by Morgan Matson

I adore road trip books,
and this one is my favourite. It’s funny, emotional, sweet, romantic, and just
basically perfect.

My Life Next Door by
Huntley Fitzpatrick

This book has the perfect
mixture of emotion, humour, drama, and romance. It’s sweet, funny,
heartbreaking, and sexy. I would love to be part of the Garrett family.

If Only We by Jessica
Sankiewicz

This is a contemporary
story with a hint of wibbly wobbly timey wimey goodness. It’s a very relatable
coming-of-age story with some great life lessons. It’s perfect for anyone who
loves stories about second chances.

Pushing the Limits by
Katie McGarry

This is a book that packs
an emotional punch. It deals with a lot of heavy issues, but it has a really
beautiful romance, and moments of humour to balance it all out. There are also
great aspects of family and friendship in the book, which I love.

This list easily could have had a dozen books or
more, but those are five of my very favourite contemporary reads. What
are some of your favourites?

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature hosted by Novel Heartbeat. It helps readers get to know more about us. This week's topic is our favorite music albums. We have quite a lot but decided to narrow it down to just a few.

Ariana Grande

Yours Truly

Ariana has a great voice that we can just listen to over and over again. She has amazing vocals! Everything's just perfect. We only have one problem, it's really hard to sing along since none of us can sing like she can.

Ellie Goulding

Bright Lights

Ellie's voice is one of the few that we can easily recognize. It's very distinct. If we hear a song of her on the radio or MTV or basically anywhere, we immediately know that it's her.

Various Artists

Hunger Games Soundtrack

This is the perfect mix of songs with the perfect mix of artists for the perfect series. There is no way that this album could get any better. Our favorite artists are there (and some that we don't know). Our personal favorite is Elastic Heart. We can't count how many times we've repeated that song.

Lorde

Pure Heroine

Lorde, like Ellie, also has a very unique voice. When we were listening to The Hunger Games Soundtrack, we heard Lorde's song, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, and instantly knew that it was her. We didn't have to look at the artist or search for who sang it, we just knew that it was her as soon as we heard her voice.

Mika

The Origin Of Love

We love, love, love this album. This is what Audrey listens to when she just wants to listen to some songs with lively tunes. There are some parts of the song that are in another language and disc two, we think, is entirely in another language but we still listen to it even though we don't know what's being said.

Demi Lovato

Demi

Demi has an amazing voice. Every single song on this album is great. She has everything in this. She has songs that puts you into a party mood, songs that make you song along even when you can't hit the high notes, and songs that make you just stop and listen.

So, that's the narrowed down version. There are so many other albums that we also love. We probably forgot to add it or something and we're sure we'll find many more albums that we'll also love a lot.

What are your favorite song/albums? What's your Life of a Blogger? What did you think about ours? Leave a comment!